Neither Dennis Potter's screenplay nor the heavyweight cast can raise this adaptation of Martin Cruz Smith's best-selling spy novel above the ordinary.
Gorky Park (1983)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:22
Fresh:17
Rotten:5
Average Rating:6.6/10
Runtime: 2 hrs 8 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: When three faceless corpses are discovered in Moscow's Gorky Park, the Moscow militia's top investigator, Arkady Renko (William Hurt), is assigned to the case. An honest Soviet official, Renko... When three faceless corpses are discovered in Moscow's Gorky Park, the Moscow militia's top investigator, Arkady Renko (William Hurt), is assigned to the case. An honest Soviet official, Renko uncovers a murky and dangerous plot involving sinister KGB agents, the corrupt Soviet government, and a powerful American businessman. Although many of the Russians in the film speak with an English accent (all the dialogue is in English), GORKY PARK proves to be a provocative, fast-paced thriller that captures all of the intrigue and suspense in Martin Cruz Smith's best-selling novel of the same name. Director Michael Apted handled the thriller genre before in SQUEEZE and AGATHA, and the experience shows in GORKY PARK; there are so many twists and turns in the plot, viewers are constantly kept off balance. A supporting cast of Lee Marvin, Brian Dennehy, and Joanna Pacula (in her first starring role) back up Hurt with solid performances. [More]
Starring: William Hurt, Lee Marvin, Joanna Pacula, Brian Dennehy
Starring: William Hurt, Lee Marvin, Joanna Pacula, Brian Dennehy
Director: Michael Apted
Director: Michael Apted
Composer: James Horner
Screenwriter: Dennis Potter
Story: Martin Cruz Smith
Reviews for Gorky Park
William Hurt is superb as a Moscow militia detective caught between his desires to be simply a good cop and the unfathomable motives of the secret Soviet government, all complicated by an unexpected love for Joanna Pacula.
Hopelessly dated and morose -- and much is lost from the bestselling novel.
By the end of Gorky Park, we realize that it's not the solution that matters, but what the case itself forced the people to discover about themselves.
It remains a taut, clever thriller throughout, with Mr. Apted's direction establishing its intensity immediately and sustaining it well.
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